[rating=4.00]
The idea that humans can endure pretty much anything should be a familiar trope with movie-watchers or, indeed, for fans of narrative in general. It seems the masses love nothing more than the stories of hardships, loss, and endurance of our fellow man. It works if it’s fiction; it’s better if it’s based on a true story. Watching the true tales of our fellow humans living through and overcoming the worst of odds inspires as all to strive for the greatness of our own potential, giving us a greater appreciation for the blessings and privileges of our own lives.
Unbroken, the latest directorial effort from Angelina Jolie, definitely attempts all of these things; though whether or not it succeeds is another story.
The film tells the story of real life hero Louis Zamperini (played by Jack O’Connell), a one-time hooligan turned long distance runner turned Olympic athlete turned Japanese prisoner of war. If that sounds like quite a bit to pack into a two-hour movie, it’s because…well…it absolutely is. And though the overall tale may be inspiring, the film suffers from that bloat.
Based on a biography by Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit), Unbroken takes a truly mesmerizing and inspiring story of perseverance and survival and turns it into ordinary Oscar bait. Which is really too bad because Zamperini’s story is truly one of the great American tales.
An Italian immigrant, Zamperini spends his youth being bullied for his nationality and running afoul of the local police of his small town. Frustrated and angry, he channels his negative rage into something positive by becoming one of the best high school track athletes of his day, eventually representing the USA at the 1936 Olympics hosted in Berlin. Though he wins no medals for his performance in the games, his speed on the field earns major attention, establishing high hopes for his chances in 1940. However, his Olympic dreams are dashed by the breakout of World War II; enlisting in the air force, he fights for his country as a member of a bombing crew until his plane crashes over the Pacific. He and two others survive the crash, living at sea for 48 days until they are eventually found by a Japanese warship and taken as prisoners of war.
That right there? That’s a great story. Unfortunately, the filmmakers seem to feel that the expected the greatness of his story can carry the entire film. As a result, the film falls a little flat. Cutting back and forth from his days on a bomber to his youth to his Olympic career, the entire first act feels entirely too clunky; with dragging exposition shoved into too little time, the depth of Zamperini’s story suffers. The constant shifting of time serves little purpose in terms of narrative flow, lessening the impact of his early struggles.
Admittedly, Unbroken does pick up after the atrocious act one – due, in no small part, to Takamasa Ishihara’s performance as the Japanese POW camp leader Watanabe (aka “The Bird”). Ishihara embodies the role of the sadistic overseer, and his performance is frightening at times. Watanabe, impressed by the fact that he has a former Olympic athlete as a prisoner, does all he can to break the will and the spirit of Zamperini, and his cruel torments reach higher and higher heights.
Unfortunately, these torments feel somewhat sanitized in order to secure a PG-13 rating. While it’s easy to read between the lines most of the time, the impact could have been higher had the brutality been a bit more, well, brutal.
While more successful than her previous effort, In the Land of Blood and Honey, Jolie’s direction is stilted, as though she got in over her head. However, there’s much to be said about the performance of the cast: Ishihara makes a strong case to receive Supporting Actor at the next Oscars, and O’Connell shows range and ability. Their talents help to overcome the limitations of their director as well as a somewhat flat script (co-written by the Coen Brothers, with Richard LaGravenese and William Nicholson).
But it’s not enough to save what rightfully should have — and could have — been an amazing story of the strength of the human spirit. Instead, we got a mediocre and ultimately forgettable film that never reaches the level of greatness provided by the subject matter. It might be a decent way to kill a couple of hours once the joy of Christmas starts to fade into the reality of a day stuck inside with family, but it’s not something you’ll be talking about once you go back to work.
